Baker County GaArchives Church Records.....Bethany Baptist Church ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Donna Eldridge DonnaEldrid@aol.com June 25, 2004, 12:51 pm HISTORY OF BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH As we undertake to write the history of our church, we are made to feel our inability to do justice to such a noble cause, knowing that this shall go down in the pages of History to be read by this and possibly other generations to come. But we as a committee deem it an honor to have the privilege of arranging and writing the History of The Church we have reverenced and loved these years as they have come and gone, leaving with us the fond memories of those who have lived and served so faithfully in the past and also enjoying the fellowship of those that God in his kind providence has spared to live and serve untiringly until now, for which we are very grateful and as we are called upon to do this work, we do it with pleasure. Our church was organized May 12, 1894, with seven charter members, names as follows: Mr. and Mrs. B. White, Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Etheridge, Mrs. Nannie E. Parr, Miss Julia White, Miss Sue Carter. Of this number there are only two living, namely Mrs. Nannie Parr and Mrs. W. A. Etheridge. ORGANIZATION Rev. J. E. Dykes was the preacher in charge associated with those who composed the Presbytery. Brother Dyke was the first Pastor to serve the church after it was organized and served it for several years. Bro. W. A. Etheridge served as the first clerk of the church. Brethren B. White and Morgan Rye were the first Deacons. Our first pastors were Brethren Joe Sauls, B. W. Martin and W. O. Crumbley. These four pastors served for a term of thirteen years. We are unable to give the exact dates and years each pastor served. Following these were Bro. W. I. Moody, who accepted the care of the church as pastor until 1910 from the fall of 1907. The church called Brother J. W. Martin who served as pastor from 1911 to 1913. Brother J. R. Blewitt was called as pastor and served in 1914. Brother W. I. Moody again served as pastor in 1915 and 1916. Following were Brother J. H. Harris in 1917, Brother J. I.D. Miller from 1917 to 1922. Brother J. W. Martin, a former pastor, having been again called, served as pastor from 1922 to 1925. Bro. J. A. Etheridge was pastor from 1925 to 1927. From 1927 to 1929 Brother H. J. Edwards served as pastor. Brother J. I. D. Miller returned to the church and served as pastor from 1929 to 1930. Brother Paul M. Sayer, then called, served from the fall of 1930 to 1931. Our present pastor is Brother Albert G. Ott, Damascus, Ga. The membership at present is 114. Those serving as church clerks for thirteen years, the period of which we have no exact record are as follows: Brethern W. A. Etheridge, E. A. Etheridge and W. A. White. Beginning the year 1907 Brother W. F. Lawrence, now deceased, was elected church clerk and served continuously until 1922, a period of fifteen years. After which Brother W. E. White served as clerk for one year and then he was followed by Brother W. J. Craft, who served as clerk for three years. Brother J. F. Killebrew, our present clerk, was elected as clerk, and has already served four years. The Bethany Baptist Church entertained the Bethel Association in 1927 and the B.Y.P.U. Convention in 1918. Our church is a painted wood building, with only one room. Its seating capacity is about 400. The value of the church grounds and church buildings with its fixtures is about $1500.00. Our church has a beautiful location, being surrounded by a natural growth of oaks, which makes it very attractive. The names of the Deacons of the church from the beginning are as follows: Brother B. White, Bro. Morgan Rye, Brother O. A. Jordan, Brother Oscar Parker, Brother W. A. White, Brother John Hudgins, Brother Willie Rooks and Brother Eddie Bridges. Our present deacons are Brother O. A. Jordan, Brother W. A. White, and Brother Willie Rooks. Our Bible School was organized in 1879 and with the exception of about five months we have had an Evergreen bible School for a period of over thirty years. The B.Y.P.U. was organized in 1924. The life of this organization seemed to be very short and at present we have no B.Y.P.U. When the Church was constituted we joined the Bethel Association and remained a member for a few years and united with the Bethel Association evidently in 1899. It appears on the list of churches in the Minutes of 1900, the Minutes of the Bethel Association in 1899, however, is not available, and it does not appear in the list of the churches of 1898. The presumption is, therefore, that it joined this Association in 1899, which was held with the Vilulah Church, Randolph County, and Bethany Baptist Church is now one of the forty two churches that compose one of the greatest Associations in Georgia, and which will celebrate in 1932 the one hundredth anniversary of the Bethel Association, the Centennial to be held with the Edison Baptist Church in October. This by order in conference: O.G. Ott, Mod. J. F. Killebrew, Clerk Historian -- Mrs. M. M. Lawrence Committee -- Bro. W. A. White, Bro. O. A. Jordan, Mrs. J. F. Killebrew (pages 155-156) "History of Bethel Association - Including Centennial Meeting" Centennial meeting held with Baptist church at Edison, Georgia, October 25, 26, 27, 1932 A. L. Miller, Edison, Ga., Moderator. W. H. Joyner, Coleman, Ga., Clerk Compiled and Edited by Alexander Lee Miller Moderator of Association 1909 -- 1934 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/baker/churches/nbb35bethanyb.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/gafiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb